Most of us treat dogs as our best friends.

Their playful nature gives us so much joy, while their sweet disposition provides us with the calm we need in a tiring day. You can look into a dog’s eyes and feel all the love there. What’s more impressive is how they can sense we need their cuddles, and they snuggle right there with us.

With everything a dog can do for us, we should also do our fair share to help.

This is not only for dogs, for all animals as well. Many people advocate adopting dogs (and other pets) to give these gentle creatures a forever home. In return, we are rewarded with unconditional love.

But there are those dogs who face the most unfortunate fate.

Numerous countries are still actively participating in the dog meat trade. The most notorious is China, especially with their Yulin Dog Meat Festival. It is one of their most controversial festivals, which runs for ten days and with over 10,000 dogs eaten.

Why do they eat dog meat – you might ask.

The festival started in 2009, but it has been an old practice in China to eat dog meat. They have this folklore that eating dog meat during the summer would bring good luck and health. But despite the decline of participation, the Yulin Dog Meat Festival was never stopped by authorities.

Other Asian countries also trade dog meat as part of their culinary culture.

According to Humane Society International, most of the dogs killed are “either family pets stolen from homes and gardens, roaming “community” dogs or strays snatched from the streets.” Some countries like South Korea build dog farms and breed dogs for slaughter.

Therefore, animal rescue and welfare organizations need to step in.

Humane Society International and a local animal protection group in China called VShine recently rescued 22 dogs in an illegal slaughterhouse in China. Thanks to a concerned activist in the vicinity. They gave a tip to VShine about the location of the slaughterhouse.

It took 17 hours to rescue all the dogs, but it was time well spent.

The rescue groups coordinated with the local authorities to shut down this heinous operation. This is just one of many operations they have done since their establishment to help curtail the illegal dog meat trade and the maltreatment of animals in the country.

Watch the video of the rescue below and see how the rescue went.

You can hear the dogs bark as the rescuers take them out one by one. Some of the dogs were scared and cowering in the corners of their cage. Some cages have two dogs in them, without sufficient space for them. It was evident how poor their living conditions were.

Thankfully, they were rescued and given proper treatment.

The dogs were brought to VShine’s shelter, where they were tended to and given a lot of love and care. The shelter is hoping that the dogs will be reunited with their families or that some of them will find new homes.

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Source: Humane Society International Facebook Page, The Humane Society of the United States YouTube Channel, Humane Society International